Peach pitting device



June 19, 1956 L. VANDERHOOFVEN PEACH FITTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 10, 1953 n ev 4 M M R 0m A 0 hw v a w m a vm M S: 0 am V vm d w: w Y Q5 0 B Q g o w am. m5 L x HN A QQ 0 3 mm v? e um Q W 3 mm m 0 w mm Q5 fi @r vm June 19, 1956 Filed April 10, 1953 L. VANDERHOOFVEN 2,750,975

PEACH FITTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Leonard Vanderhoofven INVENTOR.

. J n 19, 1956 L. VANDERHOOFVEN 2,750,975

PEACH PITT'ING DEVICE Filed April 10, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Leonard Vanderhoofven q INVENTOR.

BY MM 3% June 19, 1956 L,. VANDERHOOFVEN PEACH FITTING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 10, 1953 I I II I] t p vm N mm 1 mm wk wk QR mm mm .0 mm mm m 4 2 mm vm m9 mm 99m Leonard Vander/wofven INVENTOR.

BY MM PEACH PlTTmG DEVICE Leonard Vanderlloofven, Delta, Colo.

Application April 10, 1953, Serial No. 347,915

3 Claims. (Cl. 146-28) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in peach pitting devices and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a peach pitting device having novel and improved features over that disclosed in my United States Patent Number 2,618,305 issued November 18, 1952.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a peach pitting machine including a divider against which peaches are advanced by powered conveyors to divide peaches together with a reciprocating plunger that will remove seeds from peaches divided by the divider.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a peach pitting machine including a spring raised V-shaped vertically swingable cutter that will be engaged by advancing peaches to effectively split or slit a peach prior to engagement of the peach with the divider.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a peach pitting machine wherein the power means for advancing the conveyors is operatively connected to the seed removing plunger so that the plunger will be reciprocated in timed relation to the advance of the conveyors so that the seed of a peach divided by said divider will be removed during dividing of the peach.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a peach pitting device that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, efficient and durable in operation, small and compact in structure, inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages, which will become subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 22 of Figure 1 with parts removed for the sake of clarity;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view of Figure 2 and showing one of the gripping members approaching the divider and another gripping member approaching the cutter;

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 66 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 77 of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary, transverse, vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 88 of Figure l, and showing several of the parts removed;

Figure 9 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken Patented June 19, 1956 substantially on the plane of section line 9-9 of Figure 4; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view of Figure 4 but showing the conveyors advanced and the cutter in operation for splitting a peach.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral 10 represents the peach pitting machine generally including an elongated horizontal frame 12 having bearings 14 and 16 at its forward and rear ends that rotatably support an idler shaft 18 and a driven shaft 20.

The shafts 18 and 20 are spaced parallel to each other and extend transversely of the frame 12. Shaft 18 fixedly supports a pair of spaced sprockets 22 and shaft 20 fixedly supports a pair of spaced sprockets 24. A pair of sideby-side endless conveyor chains 26 and 28 extend longitudinally between the shafts 18 and 20 and are engaged over the sprockets 22 and 24. The bearings 14 for shaft 18 are longitudinally slidably adjustably secured to the frame 12 by providing slots 27 so that the conveyor chains may be tensioned.

The supporting legs 30 of the frame 12 at the rear end of the frame are elongated upwardly and support a platform 32 on which a motor 34 is suitably mounted. The armature shaft of motor 34 fixedly carries a pulley 36 that is connected to a relatively large pulley 38 on a horizontal shaft 40 by a pulley belt 42. The shaft 40 is rotatably supported by bearings 44 on the upper parts of legs 30 and fixedly supports a relatively small pulley 46 that is drivingly connected to a relatively large pulley 48 on shaft 20 by a pulley belt 50.

Spaced cup members or gripping members 52 and 54 are secured to the chains 26 and 28 as shown best in Figure 9 of the drawings. The chains 26 and 28 fixedly support arms 55 that are bolted to the members 52, 54, by fasteners 56 as more specifically described in my aforementioned patent. The members 52 on the chain 26 are arranged in pairs with the members 54 on the chain 28 since the members 52 and 54 are to coact in gripping peaches that are advanced by the chains.

Means is provided for moving the upper flight of chain 26 toward the upper flight of chain 28 as the chains are advanced toward the rear end portion of frame 10. This means consists of a pair of horizontal guide bars 58 and 60 that are connected to the vertical upper end portions of crank arms 62 and 64. Crank arms 62 and 64 are rotatably supported by frame 12 and the lower ends of the arms 62 and 64 fixedly support horizontal links 66 and 68 that are connected to the frame 12 under the bed 70 thereof by coil springs 72 and 74 in order to yieldingly urge the bars 58 and 60 toward each other, whereby the members 52 and 54 will ride against the bars 58 and 60 to bring the upper flights of chains 26 and 28 toward each other.

Vertically swingable bumper members 76 and 78 are pivotally attached to the frame 12 at the rear end thereof rearwardly of the bars 58 and 60, as at 80. The lower portions of the members 76 and 78 are connected by springs 82 and 84 to arms 86 and 88 fixed to the frame 12 to yieldingly urge the members 76 and 78 toward each other to engage the members 52 and 54.

The above described structure is present in my previously referred to patent. The present invention differs from my patented device in the manner in which the peaches are split and divided, as well as the means for removing the seeds from the peaches advanced by the conveyor chains.

The peach splitting means comprises a support 90 fixed to the frame 12 intermediate the ends of bars 58 and 60. Support 99 extends upwardly from the frame 12 and over the chains 26 and 28. The apex 92 of a V-shaped cutter 94 is pivoted, as at 95, to support 90 for vertical swinging 3 movement and is located above and between the upper flights of chains 26 and 28.

Cutter 94 is provided with leg portions 96 and 93 whose inner edges 1% and 102 are beveled and sharpened. The ends 104 and 196 of the leg portions '96 and 98 are also sharpened to cut peaches. A coil spring 198 connects the cutter 94 to the support 90 and yieldingly retains the cutter inclined downwardly and forwardly so that peaches advanced by the chains 26 and 28 will first engage the leg portion 96 to rock the cutter downwardly with leg portion 98 next cutting the peaches.

A peach divider 118 is fixed to the bed 70 at the rear end thereof between the upper flights of chains 26 and 23. The divider 11a comprises a vertical plate 112 that extends longitudinally of frame 12 and having a horizontal forwardly opening slot 114 whose longitudinal edges 116 and 118 are beveled and/or sharpened. Tne fingers 120 and 122 defined by slot 114 are provided with sharpened convexed forward end portions 124 and 126.

Plate 112 supports a bearing 128 that slidably guidingly receives a horizontal plunger 130 having an enlarged forward end 132 disposed within slot 314. Bearings 44 support a horizontal shaft 134 carrying a swinging link 1136 that is slidably pivotally attached to the rear end of plunger 139. A crank shaft 1.33 supported by a bearing 140 carried by the upper portions of legs 30 is provided with relatively angular end portions 142 and 144, the former end portion being connected to link 136 by a pitman 146.

Shaft fixedly supports a laterally projecting arm 148 that is connected to end portion 144 of crank shaft 138 by a pitman 159, so that as the shaft 20 is rotated, crank shaft 138 will be rotated to oscillate link 136 and thereby reciprocate plunger 1.30.

In practical use of the present invention, peaches are placed between the members 52 and 54 at the forward end of the frame 12 and the upper flights of the chains 26 and 23 are moved rearwardly to carry the peaches first past the cutter 94 and then past the divider 119.

As a peach, carried by one pair of members 52 and 54, engages the leg portion 96 of cutter 94, the rear end of the peach will be split and the cutter 94 will be forced downwardly so that the leg portion 98 will split the forward end of the peach. After the peach clears the cutter 9 4, spring 108 urges the cutter 94 again upwardly to its normal position.

The split peach is then carried by the conveyor chains 26 and 28 to the divider 110 so that continued movement of the conveyor chains rearwardly will force the peach past the divider to completely divide the peach whose halves will gravitate onto a conveyor belt or the like, not shown. The plunger 13% is timed to move forwardly as the peach is moved past the forward end of the divider 110 so that the forward end of the plunger will force the seed from the peach which seed may be collected by a receptacle (not shown) supported under the bed 7% and the divider llltl.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a peach cutting apparatus including a pair of side by side conveyors having upper fights and coacting clamping members on the conveyors for gripping and moving peaches along a generally horizontal path, a frame supporting the conveyors, a rigid inverted V-shaped cutter pivotally supported at its apex from said frame and above the upper flights of the conveyors, the leg portions of the cutter having sharpened inner edges, said cutter being swingable about an axis disposed transversely of the path of movement of the peaches, spring means operatively associated with said cutter and retaining the remote ends of the leg portions of the cutter in facing relation to the path of movement of the peaches whereby the movement of the peach past the pivot axis of the cutter will pivot the cutter against the action of the spring means and cut the peach about a major portion of its periphery.

2. In a peach cutting apparatus including a pair of side by side conveyors having upper flights and coacting clamping members on the conveyors for gripping and moving peaches along a generally horizontal path, a frame supporting the conveyors, a rigid inverted V-shaped cutter pivotally supported at its apex from said frame and above the upper flights of the conveyors, the leg portions of the cutter having sharpened inner edges, said cutter being swingable about an axis disposed transversely of the path of movement of the peaches, spring means operatively associated with said cutter and retaining the remote ends of the leg portions of the cutter in facing relation to the path of movement of the peaches whereby the movement of the peach past the pivot axis of the cutter will pivot the cutter against the action of the spring means and cut the peach about a major portion of its periphery, a stationary peach divider mounted on said frame in the path of movement of the cut peaches, and a movable member supported on said divider for engaging the pit and removing the pit from the divided peach.

3. In a peach cutting apparatus including a pair of side by side conveyors having upper flights and coacting clamping members on the conveyors for gripping and moving peaches along a generally horizontal path, a frame supporting the conveyors, a rigid inverted V-shaped cutter pivotally supported at its apex from said frame and above the upper flights of the conveyors, the leg portions of the cutter having sharpened inner edges, said cutter being swingable' about an axis disposed transversely of the path of movement of the peaches, spring means operatively associated with said cutter and retaining the remote ends of the leg portions of the cutter in facing relation to the path of movement of the peaches whereby the movement of the peach past the pivot axis of the cutter will pivot the cutter against the action of the spring means and cut the peach about a major portion of its periphery, a stationary peach divider mounted on said frame in the path of movement of the cut peaches, and a movable member supported on said divider for engaging the pit and removing the pit from the divided peach, said divider including a vertical plate having a horizontal slot opening toward said cutter, the slot being provided with sharpened longitudinal edges, said slot dividing the plate into two horizontal fingers, said fingers having rounded. sharpened ends at the opening of said slot to divide a peach leaving the cutter, said movable member including a horizontally reciprocating plunger slidably carried by said plate and paralleling the fingers, said plunger having a head portion disposed between said fingers and within said slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,263,742 Chase Apr. 23, 1918 2,317,669 Chekian Apr. 27, 1943 2,531,927 Waters Nov. 28, 1950 2,618,305 Vanderhoofven Nov. 18, 1952 2,652,085 Ansley Sept. 15, 1953 

